Process of obtaining radiothorium and solutions therefrom containing thorium-x.



BRUNO KEETMAN, OF BERLIN, TB-EPTOW, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO DEUTSCHE GASGLUEHLICHT AKTIENG-ESELLSCHAFT,- (AUERGESELLSCHAFT), OIE BER- LIN, GERMANY, A CORPORATION OF GERMANY.

PROCESS OF OBTAINING RADIOTHORIUM AND SOLUTIONS THEREFROM CONTAINING Patented Au 24 1915.

THORIUM-X.

11 151 1 8% Specification of Letters Patent. No Drawing. Application filed March 14, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Bmnzo Knn'rMAN, a citizen of the German Empire, and a resident of Berlin, Treptow, Germany, have invented a new and useful Process of Obtaining Radiothorium and Solutions Therefrom Containing Thorium-i, of which the following is a specification.

The two known processes of obtaining thorium-X start with substances containing radiothorium. According to one of said processes thorium oxid containing radiothorium is subjected to lixiviation by shaking with water. This process, however, is objectionable because a large amount of water is necessary and because it does not result in a quantitative yield. According to the other of said processes salts containing radiothorium are precipitated with ammonla. Upon filtering there 1S obtained a filtrate which contains thoriumX together with very large amounts of ammonium salts, the precipitate left on the filter being very voluminous. In order to wash out of this precipitate all of the thorium-X therein, it is necessary to use a large amount of water and it is impossible to obtain the thorium-X free from ammonium salts. According to the two known methods, theref'ore, thorium X can only be obtained either in very dilute solutions or contaminated with considerable amounts of ammonium salts.

The present invention is a process in which the substances containing radiothorium are transposed into hydroxids which are not voluminous but possess a high degree of density. Moreover these hydroxids have the characteristic of giving off the thorium-X quantitatively to very small amounts of water. The result is that tho riuui-X may be obtained free from am- Serial No. 754,219.

out and dissolved in dilute nitric acid. The excess of acid is removed by evaporation to dryness over a water bath. The residue,

consisting of the pure nitrate, is dissolved in distilled water and again treated with an excess of chemically pure ammonia. The lilCllOtllOIllllll-COl'ltfilDlIlg substances precipitate out as hydroxids and the supernatant liquid is removed by stirring and carefully evaporating to ,dryness, without separating out the precipitate. After being thoroughly cooled, the mass of precipitate is rubbed down in the presence of a suitable liquid, such as distilled water or a dilute solution of common salt free from carbonic acid, it is then allowed'to settle and the turbid supernatant solution is siphoned off. This process is repeated (preferably in a high, narrow cylinder) until all of the ammonium salts are washed out and the radiothoriumcontaining hydroxid settles out uncontaminated. To the hydroxide thus obtained, which are very dense and have a very high specific weight, is added water or a dilute 7,

results are had if the solution before it is used is allowed to stand from one to two days above the radiothorium. If the time is shorter, weaker solutions are obtained, if longer, the proportionate increase of yield which might be expected is counteracted by the decomposition which takes place during this time.

As the radiothorium obtained by the above process can be lixiviated quantitatively with very small amounts of distilled water or salt water, the great advantage is had that concentrated, pure solutions of thorium-X can be obtained, whereas according to the previously known processes, a much diluted solution or one containing ammonium salts was produced. Finally, it, may be said that the use of a very Weak solution of common salt, free from carbonic acid for the production of a solution containing thorium-X results in an advantage over the use of distilled water in that it prevents a colloidal formation of the radiothorium precipitate, which would render the solution turbid and necessarily result in considerable loss of the mother-substance. It is to be undersleod that, instead of a common salt solution, solution of equivalent neutral salts may he used;

' claim:

The herein described process which consists in precipitating radiothoriwn or radiotl'iorium-containing substances with am- 'monia, then evaporating to dryness the un- 1 separated mixture of precipitate and liquid resulting from such precipitation operation and then washing the dry mixture with a lir uid capable of removing the ammoniumsalts, thereby removing the ammonium salts from the dry evaporated residue and obtaining the radio-thorium or radiothorium-conearning substance n the form of a dense,

substantially pure hydroxid, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. The herein described process which consists in precipitating radiothorium or radiothoriumconta-ining substances with au1 monia, then evaporating to dryness the unseparated mixture of precipitate and liquid resulting from such precipitation operation, then Washing the dry mixture with a liquid capable of removing the ammonium salts, thereby remol'ing the ammonium salts from the dry evaporated residue, and then placing the radiothorium or radiothorium-contraining hydroxid thus obtained in contact with a neutral liquid capable of extracting thorium-X until a desired amount of thorium-X has formed, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myihand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BRUNO KEETMAN.

Witnesses HENRY HASPER, WoLnmrAa HAUPT. 

